New Life Church’s Mission

We exist to bring glory to God by making disciples of all people through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Core Values

Through Spirit and the Word, New Life Church relates to one another as a multi-ethnic, multi-gifted blend of God’s people.

The Word

We treasure beauty in diversity and express the creativity of God as a blend of His people. Regardless, we do not focus on ethnic, social, or economic distinctions.

Community

The transforming power of the Holy Spirit enables us to live transparent lives with each other through Jesus.

Worship

Our worship encompasses exuberant, eclectic, and celebrative styles where spiritual gifts are encouraged and exercised with freedom and order.

Prayer

Prayer is the engine that drives New Life Church, and we intentionally prioritize it within a variety of weekly prayer meetings.

Missional Living

We walk out our calling to minister the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people, here and abroad, through personal evangelism.

One Church, 4 Locations

The multi-site church model excels through taking the infrastructure of an existing, thriving church and expanding it into new communities. Each campus has a shared, unifying vision with a unique, location-specific implementation.

Kempsville

Ghent

Town Center

Statement of Faith

We believe in the verbal inspiration of the Bible, both the Old and New Testament, by the Holy Spirit as originally given. They are the final authority for our faith and life. (II Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12)

We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who, by His incarnation and virgin birth, took upon Himself the form of man and became the God-Man. In the one person of Christ there are two natures, human and divine, each in its completeness and integrity. They are distinguishable but indivisible, so that He is fully man and fully God. He lived a sinless life and became the only sacrifice for the sins of the world. (Ephesians 1:3-5; Romans 5:1-11; Acts 12:4; I Peter 1:18-19)

We believe that the terms of salvation are repentance toward God for sin and a personal, heartfelt faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, resulting in regeneration. This salvation is entirely by grace and not by works. (Ephesians 2:6-10; Romans 5:1; Acts 3:19-20)

We believe that Satan is a fallen, created being who is the “god of this world.” He and his well-organized company of demons are opposed to the Kingdom of God and work to defeat and destroy the believer. While his activity is real, Satan and his demon spirits were defeated and overthrown by Christ’s victory at the cross. (Luke 10:17-20; Colossians 2:13-15; Ephesians 6:10-18)

We believe the Holy Spirit to be the third person of the Godhead who is active in the world today. The Spirit indwells and seals the believer at new birth. We believe that baptism in the Holy Spirit is a subsequent experience and is available to all Christians to empower them to be witnesses. We believe in and encourage the use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. (John 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4)

We believe that believers water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are sacraments of the Church and should be practiced regularly. (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-10; 1 Corinthians 10:16-21)

Our History

In 1995, Pastor Dan Backens joined the pastoral staff of New Life Christian Fellowship (NLCF) after pastoring in the Midwest for ten years. NLCF grew into a multi-site church in the Virginia Beach area, and Pastor Dan became campus pastor of their Greenbrier congregation. Five years later, Pastor Dan and Pastor Kevin Turpin were sent out of NLCF to plant an intentionally multi-ethnic congregation named New Life Providence. The organizational structure of NLCF evolved through the years until, in 2003, each of its seven congregations – including New Life Providence – were released to self-governing, independent local churches. Nonetheless, these New Life churches maintained close relationships with one another through partnering together under One Focus Network. This vibrant structure continues to thrive today.

New Life remains evangelical in doctrine, charismatic in practice, and eclectic in worship.

New Life had a history-changing visitation from the Lord in August of 2001 that resulted in the church’s dedication to being a House of Prayer. Through day and night prayer, things in the church began to flourish. After five great years of meeting in a local high school, New Life Providence Church purchased an elementary school with its adjacent property and built a 1,000-seat sanctuary in 2004. As the attendance grew, the church facilities eventually served as host to six unique weekend experiences, with a total audience of about two thousand people. In 2010, New Life Providence adopted a multi-site strategy when it purchased another church facility that had a new state-of-the-art 1500-seat sanctuary and 40,000 square feet of equipping space, in the Deep Creek area of Chesapeake—all about a 15-minute drive from the Virginia Beach campus. New Life’s seventh-weekend service launched at this location. In 2012, New Life acquired the historical and beautiful Colonial Avenue Methodist Church in Norfolk, Virginia; and after extensive remodeling, the third campus opened. Presently, there are two thriving services at this campus. In 2017, New Life began its fourth campus in the Town Center area of Virginia Beach, Virginia with two growing services at this location. New Life Providence, now named New Life Church, continues to be blessed by the Lord—with a membership of about 6,000 people. The church remains evangelical in doctrine, charismatic in practice, and eclectic in worship. New Life Church seeks to do whatever it takes to reach and teach as many people for Christ!

Leadership & Staff of New Life Church

Our leadership and staff are believers that reflect the church’s mission to embody a multi-ethnic team that glorifies God.